Chapter 152: Pantheon (1)

Baal and Thetis did not return until the evening of the next day.

Given that even a gods would find it difficult to traverse the deep sea, Baal's complexion had grown quite dark.

Darker even than the hair color of Nyx, who was sitting obediently on my lap.

"Well, with this, you've passed my test. you've even been to the depths of the sea, so now this small and young goddess can go anywhere."

"Hmm. You don't look well, shall we postpone the next test a bit?"

At my words, Baal's expression became startled, and he slowly shook his head.

"It's fine... since the last one left..."

"Un. The last one was Sagarmatha, right?"

The taciturn Sagarmatha was silently looking at Baal.

Though I've raised her like a child... sometimes it's hard to know what she's thinking.

T/N: I'm not sure if Sagarmatha is male or female, but I believe someone previously mentioned that all of MC's children are female except Ifrit and Erebus. Please correct me in the comment section if I'm mistaken.

What kind of test will that child give?

"Okay. I've decided."

Sagarmatha slowly opened her mouth.

"You've passed my test."

"Huh?"

Suddenly? What is she saying? That child?

"I had originally prepared a different test... but now it seems unnecessary. I'll let you pass the test."

Hmm... I don't know what change of heart she had, but does this mean Baal can now become the king of the gods?

I should be happy that I can delegate the work to Baal, but... I don't understand why Sagarmatha decided to let him pass the test.

"But what was the original test you had planned?"

"Ah, it was to bring back a treasure."

"A treasure? What kind of treasure?"

"I was going to have him retrieve the treasures that mom created and blessed, without using divine power, in his human physical form."

The treasures that I created and blessed? Hmm... there are various ones, but most are likely in the hands of the powerful people.

To retrieve them without using divine power would not have been an easy test. Moreover, there would inevitably be conflicts with humans or other subraces.

Well, it's fortunate that it was skipped.

I put down Nyx, who was sitting on my lap, and stood up, saying,

"The final test may be a bit anticlimactic, but it's not good to drag it out too long, so this might be just about right... Now you've gained the recognition of everyone."

Including me, the seven strongest gods in this world. The God of the Sky, who has received the recognition of the seven, will become the king of the gods and rule over countless deities of this world.

A temple, a divine seat, and symbols to elevate his authority will be necessary for him.

"Then I shall prepare the coronation site for Baal to ascend as the king of the gods, and the world where the gods will reside. It will take a few days, so when the preparations are complete, everyone should rest well, especially Baal."

Seeing that Baal's complexion had not improved, likely due to the difficulty of Thetis' test.

"Ah, yes... I'll rest for a while..."

"Good. The others should rest well too."

With that, I crossed the space, leaving Baal and the children behind.

Now, let's create the world where the gods will gather.

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"But Sagarmatha. Are you really okay with letting him pass the test?"

I clearly moved to the sky where the other children were not, but a voice came from behind me.

"Where is this place...?"

A faint voice that was about to fade away. I turned my head to look behind.

"Somehow... I followed you."

Nyx was clinging to my back.

"When did you start clinging to me?"

"Right after you put me down... I just felt more comfortable doing this..."

Ah, this child. The goddess of shadows.

Even though I was lost in thought, I didn't notice her clinging to my back. She really is the goddess of shadows.

"Alright. Since I have work to do, could you please let go of me?"

"Ah, well... if it's okay, can I stay like this?"

Stay like this? On my back?

"It doesn't really matter, but won't it be dangerous?"

"No, no! If I don't try to fall off, I can stay attached. I'll be good and stay attached."

Hmm... as long as she doesn't interfere with my work... it's fine for her to stay attached.

"Then stay attached quietly while I work."

"Okay!"

So with Nyx attached to my back, I began creating a world for the gods.

Let's see, unlike the paradise that the humans who passed the Afterlife trial head to, this will be the space where the gods reside. I'll make the entrance high up in the sky.

The world of the gods... hmm, the first image that comes to mind is something like Olympus, Asgard, or the Celestial Realm.

Since it's the world where the gods live, it should be clearly different from the lower world where humans live.

What kind of feeling would be good? A world on top of the clouds? A world entered by a rainbow bridge? Or a mountain rising up in the sky... ah, that's Sagarmatha, never mind.

Hmm, let's go with the main concept of a world on top of the clouds.

Like some kind of sky island from an anime, a world built on clouds that are solid enough for people to stand on.

Ah, the entrance should be difficult to access, and only open briefly, maybe twice a day during the transition between day and night.

Yes! An invisible door that opens only during the moments of dawn and dusk, connecting the divine world and the human world. High up in the sky. That sounds pretty good, doesn't it?

It's unlikely that a human would try to fly into the world of the gods. Maybe a dragon could do it, but dragons listen to me well, so I can control them.

Speaking of which, the newly born gods and dragons - which one is stronger? The individual power of the dragons is slightly higher, but it's not like the gods and dragons will go to war, so I don't need to think about this.

With these random thoughts, I created the world above the sky. In the center, I built a massive marble temple. I'll model it after the Greek temples.

The temple made of pure white marble. I first erected the huge columns on the outside, then built the walls inside them to create the grand temple.

The temple, made of snow-white marble, was dazzling in the light pouring down from the sky.

Adding the triangular roof completes the building. I used the Parthenon in Greece as the model.

I didn't add any sculptures or reliefs on the exterior, but it looks quite magnificent as is.

As for the interior, I'll just make a reception hall where you face the divine throne right after entering.

The rest can be left empty for Baal to decide. I'll just leave the large divine throne.

And so, the first temple of the Pantheon, the God of the Sky, is complete, with only the reception hall prepared.

The rest of the construction should be done as Baal wishes, so I'll leave it empty!

Oh, I should probably build a temple for myself too. Well, a small one will do, just to have one. I don't need to live in it.

I'll make a small temple for now, and can expand it later if needed.